Is Breast Cancer in the Elderly An Indolent Disease?

Li Liu, MD
OncoLink Assistant Editor
Last Modified: October 25, 2000

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Presenter: R. SinghAffiliation: The University of Chicago Hospital, Chicago, IL

Background:

Among elderly women with early-stage breast cancer, age has a strong influence on treatment patterns, and many elderly women are not offered the full range of options. This is partly due to a long-held perception that breast cancer in elderly women is less aggressive as it is in younger women. In this study, the researchers assessed virulence or metastagenicity of women with breast cancer in different age groups.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 1430 patients (aged 41-91) treated with mastectomy between 1927 and 1987 were reviewed.

182 women were older than 70 years old.

Median follow-up was 12.3 years.

Results:

In women with node-negative breast cancer, there
was a significantly lower distant disease-free
survival (DDFS) in patients 40-70 compared to
those >70 (p=0.018).

For patients with node-positive disease,
significant difference in DDFS was not seen
between two age groups (p=0.2).

Aug 15, 2011 - In elderly women with breast cancer and a history of cardiac disease or diabetes, treatment with trastuzumab is associated with an increased risk of cardiotoxicity, according to a study published online Aug. 9 in the Annals of Oncology.